Back to War
by Deadly Fangs
Summary: No longer a oneshot! This is the sequel to First Time, Only Chance and shows what happens after Raph leaves his family to go help his brothers fight the Shredder. Feedback is greatly welcomed. Sorry for any spelling/grammer errors.
1. Have to go

Disclaimer: I do not own TMNT or any of it's characters. I do however, own Maya, Suki, Niko and the unborn baby.

Wow, it's been a while huh? I have no excuse this time...oh, wait...I've lost my motivation...and my laptop of three years finally kicked the bucket. Poor thing. It lasted a long time though, so it will always be remembered. I need some feed back people! Please! Give me ideas and I can type up another story!

**XxX**

"You're leaving, aren't you..." Maya asked as she watched Raph shrug on his old leather jacket and put his sais into his belt. "Please Raph...I thought we agreed, you wouldn't leave until at least Niko was at least sixteen. He needs his father."

Sighing quietly, Raph turned and looked over at his clearly upset wife. He didn't want to leave her or their children but the only way to keep them safe was if he left to go fight the Shredder with his brothers and April. If he ever found a way to this world there was no way any of them would surive. "Maya, I know what I said but I have ta go now. Usagi said that Leo and Mikey were almost killed in the last attack and I can't let that happen!"

"And what are we suppose to do? Just stay here and pretend that everything is still normal? Suki's ten years old and Niko is only four! And I'm two months pregnant!" By now she was in tears and tryiing to keep her voice down so she wouldn't wake up the kids. "I can't do this without you, not now!"

Closeing his eye tightly, Raph hung his head as Maya turned around and smothered her sobs with her hands, her tears leaving wet paths along the fur on her cheeks. Walking up behind her, he wrapped her in a tight hug and lightly put a hand on her tummy, imagining the tiny life the two of them made. Was it a boy or girl? What would they look like? The only things he hoped for was that they would be born healthy and happy and be a full term baby.

Niko had been born when Maya was only five months along, right in the middle of the orchard. There had been no time to go and get a midwife or call our for help because he needed to focus all his attention on catching him as he slid out of his mother's body. He had been so small and weak that many people in the nearby village didn't think he would make it.

But he proved everyone wrong. Their sickly son had grown into an adventurous toddler and was already showing signs that he would make a fine ninja when it came time for his training to start. But now...

Hugging her tighter, Raph let go then gently turned her around, holding her by the shoulders.

"I'm sorry Maya...but I have to do this...I have to make sure you and the kids'll be safe."

"...what do I tell them? They'll have questions...they'll want to know where their father went to..." She knew that look in his eye...there was no stopping him when he was like this. "What do I tell this one?" She put her hand on her tummy, feeling scared that she would have to be the one to raise their last child on her own until he came back.

"Tell them...tell them that I had to go to war...to protect the place where we came from. And tell this one...that their father is sorry he couldn't see them grow up, but that he loves them with everything he has." Cupping her face with his hands Raph kissed her deeply and hugged her one more time before turning towards the childrens room. "I'm going to say goodnight one last time."

Watching as Raph went to see Suki and Niko, Maya sank onto the pillows in the living room and curled up around herself. She would allow herself to cry after, when Raph was gone and no one was there to hear her.

Looked down at the sleeping faces of his children made him want to reconcider leaving them while they were still so young. But if he didn't leave now there was no telling what would happen to his brothers and April back on earth. If the Shredder killed them then there would be nothing stopping him from going to other worlds, finding other dimentions. The thought of what he would do to his family was to much to bear.

Swallowing hard, he kneeled down and lightly stroked Suki's hair, smiling slightly when she let out a loud yawn and leaned into his touch. "Daddy's gonna miss ya Suki...you gotta be a big girl and look afta mommy, Niko and the new baby...when you're older, the orchard'll belong to you..." After placing a light kiss on her forhead, he moved over to Niko's bed, silently admiring the way his dark green skin and black stripes made him blend in with the dark.

He had the look of a turtle minus the shell, with bits of cat thrown in. Like his sister, he had cat ears ontop of his head only his were black to match his stripes and tail. An added surprise was when he found out that his son could climb walls thanks to extremely thick and powerfull claws coming out of each finger and toe.

'The perfect ninja...only I may never get to see him reachi his full potental...'

He thought as he carefully picked Niko up and held him close, sniffling as he purred in his sleep. "You're the man of the house now son...you gotta look afta everyone once yer older...practice bein' a ninja...don't let me down..." With that, he put his son back into bed, tucked him in and gave him one last kiss goodnight before turning to leave.

"Daddy loves you both..."

Before he left, he picked Maya up from the floor and carried her to their room and made love to her one last time. They both needed this, to forget what was about to happen and just let go, to feel good. After Raph pushed himself deeper into Maya repeatedly then finished inside her while she clawed at his back panting, he watched her drift off to sleep, all the while stroking her hair and reminding her how much she ment to him.

Leaving his family was going to break his heart but if that's what needed to be done to keep them safe then so be it.

**XxX**

And that's the end of that. Just a quick oneshot to show the night Raph had to leave to go back to Earth. Not much but it's something to sink your teeth into. Meh. Tell me what you think and what you would like to see.

Remember! Reading + Reviewing equals one happy Deadly Fangs!


	2. It's so hard

Disclaimer: I don't own any TMNT characters or places. I do however own Maya, Suki and Niko.

Hello everyone, I'm back! Couldn't sleep so I decided to work on the latest chapter of "Back to War". It's a simple filler chapter, going from Maya to Raph then back to Maya again, showing how each other is doing after Raph had to go back to Earth. The first part with Maya is three months after Raph left, the part with Raph is the same day and the second part of Maya is about a week or two later. But anywhoo, I'll leave ya be and let ya enjoy the story!

**XxX**

Maya was exhausted.

It had been three months since Raphael had left them to go back and help his brothers defeat the Shredder, and although the nearby village had offered her as much support as she needed, things were hard.

Suki understood that one day her daddy would have to leave them, to go back to war against the 'bad man' and tried to be strong for her little brother. She had to help her mommy with the orchard. She had to be a big girl now and not complain when things got tough. As hard as she tried though, she just couldn't stop the tears at night while her mommy hugged her tightly before bedtime.

And poor little Niko wasn't fairing any better. He cried everyday for the first month from the time he woke up until he passed out later on that night. Now, all he did was stare quietly down the road his father had taken everyday, almost as if he could will Raph to come back home.

Right now the three of them were in the orchard picking the last of the apples and pears before the frost hit. If they didn't get another fifteen baskets by tonight there was no way they would reach the quota for the end of the month sales, which meant they would have to go without some things. As Maya strained to reach some of the fruit on the higher branches she suddenly felt the baby give a sharp kick, making her gasp slightly and grab her stomach tightly.

"Mommy! Mommy what is it? Did you hurt yourself? Do you need to rest?" Suki asked as she dropped the empty basket she was carrying and ran towards her mom. As expected Niko was right behind her and clinged to Maya's leg when he reached her.

Gently running her hand over his head, Maya took a deep breath and nodded her head slightly, giving both her worried children a smile. "Mommy's fine honey, but thank you for asking. The baby just kicked really hard, that's all."

"Mama need ta rest." Niko stated as he craned his neck to look up at her.

"It's 'to' sweetheart. Mama needs **to** rest...and I'm fine, I just need to take it easy for a little while."

"No! Dada saids I gots ta ta'e 'are of Mama and Su'i! Mama need ta rest! Dada saids so! He saids so...!"

Gazing at her son softly as he started to tear up at the end and cry, she carefully picked Niko up and set him on her hip while taking Suki's hand and leading them both over to the wagon. "Alright baby boy, Mama's going to rest for a while. Maybe we can all take a nap together." After setting both the kids in the back of the wagon she went to make sure that their horse was still tied to the tree before going to join them.

"Alright you two, lets get some rest. We still have a lot of work to do before the day is over."

"Okay Mommy..."

"Yes Mama..."

Maya watched them for a few minutes as they curled up around each other, Niko sniffling every so often and Suki's ears flicking back and forth as she hugged her little brother tightly. Closing her own eyes tightly as she laid down beside them, Maya tried to get comfortable while the baby in her tummy squirmed around as if it was trying to get more comfortable as well. "Easy there baby...Mommy needs to rest...settle down for me?" Sighing in relief as the baby seemed to do as she ask, Maya finally allowed herself to sleep.

Right before she completely drifted off, she reached out, hugged her children close and sent out a silent pray to whoever was listening to keep her husband safe.

****************XxX****************

Jerking awake from his restless sleep, it took Raph a moment to get his barings before he remembered where he was tonight. Just another run down, broken apartment building. He had been helping April plan a raid on a shipment of guns at the docks for the last three days and hadn't slept at all during that time, while at the same time trying to avoid running into his brother Leo. Raph was still angry at him for not going back to save Master Splinter while Leo was furious that he had been gone for the past ten years.

Snorting in annoyance, Raph climbed out of the bathtub he had been sleeping in and stretched out some kinks in his shoulders and back. The most difficult thing had had to do though, was lie to everyone about where Maya was. The look on Mikey's face alone was enough to make him wish he could take back what he had just said.

_**flashback**_

_"So Raphael, just where the shell have you been for the last ten years? And where's Maya? Everyone knows that she would never split up from you, not with the Shredder still out there."_

__Raph_ stared at his brother with what he hoped looked like sadden before turning away to look back down at some maps._

_"Raphael? Where's Maya? She's okay right?" Michelangelo asked quietly. Ever since Master Splinter had passed Maya had taken it upon herself to look after Mikey as best and as often as she could. When both she and Raph had gone missing, he had put all of his attention into finding out what had happened to them. "Raphael?"_

_"She's in a better place..."_

_"...what...? What do you mean by that?"_

_"I meant what I said! She's in a better place now so just drop it okay? Don't ever bring her up again!"_

_He didn't need to look back to know what his words had done. Mikey once again had his heart broken and Leo hadn't bothered Raph for the rest of the day._

_*end flashback*_

Without even realizing it, Raph had left his temporary 'home' and was running along the shadows, his feet taking him towards Central Park. He knew where his body was taking him and shut his eye tightly to keep any tears from building up and spilling over when he finally reached the small clearing. This was where his Sensei was buried and right next to it was what made him and Leo call a truce for a while...

Mikey had made a grave mark...with Maya's name on it.

Kneeling before both of them, Raph bowed his head and just stayed there. After several long minutes, he spoke quietly. "It's like you're really gone Maya...Mikey thinks you're dead...Leo thinks you're dead...and April...everyone that knew us thinks so...and it's for the best." Swallowing hard, he cleared his throat before continuing. "No one can ever know the truth. If you're gone, then you and the kids will be safe."

Turning his attention towards Master Splinter's marker, Raph' voice wavered slightly. "Masta Splinter...I need your help. I can't look after Maya where she is...and she's going to have our last child soon...just a couple of months...and she needs to care for Suki and Niko too...please...I need you to watch over them...please Father...I need help..."

As the tears finally started to fall, a warm breeze gently passed over him then the forest went silent, allowing him to morn in private.

****************XxX****************

"NO! YOU 'AN'T HAVE SU'I! IT DADA! IT MINE!"

Gasping for breath, Maya sat up as quickly as she could from her bed, pushed herself up and quickly waddled over to her bedroom door to see what had her son shrieking at his sister like that. "What in the name of the Ultimate Daimyo are you doing Niko? You know the rules, when you're in the house you use your inside voice."

Niko looked up at his mother with wide, teary eyes as he held something black to his chest, his ears flat against his head and his tail puffed up. "It Dada Mama...it Dada so it mine!"

"That's not fair! I'm the oldest, I should get first say in anything Dad left behind! Give it Niko!"

"NOOOO! I BITE YOU SU'I! IT MINE! IT DADA AND IT ALL MINE!"

" I said GIVE IT NIKO!"

"Enough!" Maya said as she stomped her foot on the floor and held a hand to her tummy. The baby was awake and moving around again inside her, which meant it would be next to impossible to get anymore rest until it settled down. "Niko, don't you dare threaten to bite your sister! I will spank you! And Suki, you should know better then to get into a shouting match with your brother while I'm trying to get some rest! Now, what are you fighting over? Show me."

With his mother holding out her hand, Niko slowly unwrapped his arms from around his treasure he found and showed her. Blinking in surprise, Maya realized just what her kids were fighting over. They were Raph's old gloves, from when the two of them were still on Earth. Quickly taking them before Niko could pull them back, she looked at both of them. "These are now going to be in my room from now on. I will not have you two fighting over something that belonged to your father. He would be upset with both of you."

As soon as the words left her mouth, Niko launched himself at her, clinging to her shirt and started to wail his heart out. "NO NO MAMA NO! NO TA'E DADA! I SOWWY, I SOWWY! NO TA'E DADA! DADAAAA!"

Freezing in her tracks, Maya stared at her heavily crying son then over at Suki, who was looking down at the floor with a guilty look on her face. Carefully lowering herself down, Maya pulled Niko close and gently rubbed his back as he sobbed. "Easy baby boy, easy...slow down and take a deep breath..."

"Mommy...I'm...I'm going to go to my room...I need to be alone..."

"Suki honey, wait a minute. Please..." Maya started but stopped when the door to Suki and Niko's room slid shut. She would talk to her daughter after she managed to get her still wailing son calmed down. It took more then an hour but she was somehow able to get him breathing normally. "Niko...if I let you have your father's gloves, do you promise not to fight with your sister? Or bite her?"

Sniffling against her chest, he nodded his head slowly and reached out to the gloves that were still in her hands, mumbling quietly. "Pwomise Mama...no hu't Su'i...Dada now...?"

"Yes Niko, you can have the gloves now..." Taking a deep shuttering breath as the baby gave a couple of sharp kicks, Maya watches as Niko once again held the gloves close to his chest. After carefully putting him down to rest on the pillows in the living room, she once again managed to get herself up and walked over to check on Suki. She wasn't at all surprise to find her laying on her stomach crying, though more softly then her brother. "Suki...come here honey..."

Settling herself down next to her daughter, Maya gathered her up and lightly stroked her hair.

"I'm so sorry Mommy...I didn't mean to get Niko so upset...but he found Daddy's gloves...and I want something of his...so much...what if I forget him? What if he...he never comes back from the war..?"

Gently placing a finger on Suki's lips, Maya shushed her. "Now don't you go thinking like that. You could never forget your father...and he will come back from the war. It might not be for some time, but he will come back. Your brother got the gloves but I'm sure I can find something else that belonged to your father for you to have."

"You promise Mommy?"

"I promise sweetheart...now you go to sleep, okay? Niko is sleeping in the living room right now and I'm pretty sure you could use some rest as well."

And yet as she tucked Suki into bed and kissed her goodnight, Maya had a horrible nagging feeling that something was going to happen to Raph. Shaking her head as she made her way back to Niko, she murmered to herself. "Everything's going to be okay...Raph'll come back...I know he will..." Looking out the windows, she gently brushed a small tear away.

"He has to..."

**XxX**

And that's the end of that! Sorry about Raph's part being so darn short, I WAS going to make him fight with Leo but I really wasn't feeling up to working on something to...intense. My brain can only take so much this early in the morning. Maybe another chapter though! Let me know what you think too, reviews not only make my day, they give me ideas as to what to put into the next chapter.

Speaking of which...Maya's going to have a surprise when it comes time for her to give birth. *grins* One of you already know what it is, so don't tell! I want it to be a surprise for the other readers!

Remember! Reading + Reviewing equals one happy Deadly Fangs!

And I was also thinking...I know I said I wouldn't bring any children Maya and Raph have into the main story I'm working on, but now I'm re-thinking it. WOULD you guys like it if I brough Suki, Niko and the new baby into the the main story?


	3. It's in our family

Disclaimer: See first two chapters.

Hmmm...been a while, hasn't it? Don't get me wrong I do have ideas floating around up here *taps head* but honestly? I've been feeling rather...dead...inside. I just don't have the engery to try and post things at the moment. I'll have another chapter up but it wont be for a while yet so...here's a filler chapter.

Enjoy.

**_XxX_**

Maya huffed as she waddled slightly along the long corridor, showing all the past winners of the Battle Nexus. She wanted to bring Suki and Niko here before the baby was born because she knew once the baby did come there wouldn't be any time. Suki was currently running ahead of here, looking at all the different statues while Niko was holding her hand tightly, not entirely comfortable being so far away from home and surrounded by strangers.

"Suki don't wander to far ahead honey. There are some statues I want to show you over here."

"Okay Mommy!" Suki said as she ran back to her mother and brother. She had been here before, a long time ago before Niko had been born but the memory was fuzzy. She had been more interested in playing with her Daddy's bandana tails then looking at all the weird statues.

But know that she was older and paying more attention to things around her, she realized that there was something here really interesting.

"Dada! It Dada, Mama!"

Looking down at her son, who was reaching up with both hands towards the statue, Maya couldn't help but give a sad smile before shaking her head and kneeling down beside him. "No sweetheart, it's not your Daddy. That's one of your uncles, Michelangelo. He came here with his family a long time ago and won the Battle Nexus."

"Mommy how many uncles do we have?"

"You have three uncles. Michelangelo," she pointed a hand towards the statue as she said that, "Leonardo and Donatello." She wisely made the decision not to let them know that Donny was still missing as she slowly pushed herself up and made her way to two other statues close by. "And this is your grandfather."

Both children looked up at the statue and tilted their head to one side. Their mom was a cat and their dad was a turtle but they couldn't understand how a rat could be their grandfather.

"Mommy I don't get it...how is he our grandfather? He doesn't look anything like you or Daddy."

Chuckling quietly, Maya gently stroked her daughters hair. "That's a story for another day. What you do need to know is that Master Splinter raised your daddy and and his brothers from when they were very little. He loved them all very much, just like how he loved his Master, Hamato Yoshi." She pointed towards the other statue.

"It's in our family..."

Blinking in slight surprise, Maya looked towards Suki when she spoke. "What do you mean honey, it's in our family?"

"Uncle Mike won...Grandfather won and his Master won...it's in our family...that means that we could win one day, right? Me or Niko or the new baby could be winners one day."

Not wanting to burst Suki's bubble, Maya nodded her head and smiled brightly. "You bet. Any one of you could be winners when you get older. But now it's time for us to go home. Don't forget that you have school tomorrow."

"Aw Mommy, it's only going to be half a day. Can't I stay home?"

As Maya explained once again the importance of getting a good education, Niko stared up at the statue that looked so much like his Daddy. Maybe THIS was a way to get him to come home! He could get big and strong and win the Battle Nexus and that would make his Dada so proud he would come home again!

Yawning loudly as his Mama bundled them up into the back of their wagon and Suki wrapped the blankets around them tighter so that the snow and cold wouldn't affect them, Niko quickly fell asleep, all the while thinking about how he would be the one to make their family whole again.

**_XxX_**

Yeah...I might fix this up at one point, but not tonight.

Remember! Reading + Reviewing equals one happy Deadly Fangs!


	4. It's time

Disclaimer: I do not own any TMNT characters or places. I do however own Maya, Suki, Niko and the baby.

Yeah yeah, I know it's been a while. Between work, taking care of my 16 year old brother and other stuff (like getting food and doing laundry) I just haven't had the time or energy to work on this. And chances are I'm going to be so very tired for work tomorrow...*looks at time* Correction...today, because I wanted to get this idea typed before I forgot about it completely. And so...here you go.

Oh, and by the way, this story has a little surprise for you near the end. Enjoy.

**XxX**

Raph woke up with a start, staring up at the dirty ceiling in the dim light. He wasn't sure just what was wrong but there was a feeling deep in his gut that told him something important was happening and it was happening now. He could hear the dripping of a broken tap somewhere in the half-destroyed house along with the sound of tiny claws scraping against the floors but he had long gotten use to those sounds.

No, this was something else...something he had felt before but couldn't put his finger on.

By the time he did figure it out it was like a sledge hammer to the gut. Quickly sitting up from the sagging bed, Raph bolted from the room and checked the small calender he kept since he left his family. After several moments of checking and double checking, he knew what the feeling in his gut was...

Maya was having the baby...and he was missing it.

A deep sadness overcame him, bringing tears to his eyes which he quickly wiped away. Taking the calender back to the bedroom he sat down on the bed again before digging into a hidden pocket in his jacket and pulling out a slightly torn and bent picture. When he and Maya were still on the run, they had managed to grab a camera that printed out instant photos.

_'There needs to be happy memories Raph...if we survive this, I want to remember any good times we have.'_

_'We are going to survive this Maya. You, me and all the others are going to make it through this war.'_

He was so glad he agreed to keep it now.

The photo was of Maya and the kids in the orchard, Niko craddled in his mothers arms as he looked up at everything with big curious eyes while Suki happily ate an apple. This was the only thing to prove that Maya was still alive, that he had a family hidden safely away somewhere.

Closing his eye tightly as he pressed the photo against his forehead, he once again prayed like he did all those months ago...

**XxX**

Panting heavily as soon as the contraction passed, Maya also closed her eyes as she fell back against the pillows. Sweat had matted her fur and hair to her body as it strained to push her baby out into the world. Opening her eyes slightly as she felt one of the mid-wives wipe her forehead with a cool damp cloth.

"You're doing lovely dear, just a few more strong pushes and the baby'll be here. When the next contraction comes hunch forward, grab your thighs and push as hard as you can."

All Maya could do in responce was nod her head weakly the do as instructed, a shrill scream tearing from her mouth as she did so.

_'Raphael...I need you...I need you...!'_

**XxX**

Raph continued to keep the picture close long throughout the night, the feeling in his gut getting stronger with each passing minute. It was almost time, he knew it. The last child that he and Maya made would be born soon. He would never be able to hold it, never see its first steps or hear its first words but so long as he kept the Shredder on this world and not out looking to get to other dementions the child would grow up safe.

"Daddy loves you baby...even though I'm not there, daddy loves you..."

_'I love you too Maya...I'll always be there with you...'_

Hours passed before the feeling faded. It was then that Raph knew the child had been birthed and so, turning the picture over, he wrote a small note on the back with the nub of a pencil which simply said 5:40 am, baby was born. He quickly returned the picture to his hidden pocket before gathering all his stuff up. It was time to move on.

Before he did though, he looked outside and saw something that hadn't been there for years.

A sunrise, peaking though the smog and clouds, throwing off colors of light blue and the tiniest bit of orange.

"I'll come back to you one day Maya...and our family'll be whole again."

**XxX**

Peaking through the crack in the door as the last mid-wife cleaned up the blood from the birth Suki waited until her mom said it was okay to come in. As soon as she was given the okay, she opened the door wide and ran in, pulling a scared Niko behind her.

"Mommy!"

"Mama!"

Hugging her two oldest children tightly, Maya gently shushed them as she comforted them. It wasn't her intention to have them in the house when she gave birth but so late at night ment that there would be no one around to look after them. But everything had worked out...more then she could ever hope for.

"Mama o'ay? What huwt you? I 'iss and ma'e betta." Niko said as he snuggled against her. "No li'e when Mama huwt."

"Thank you honey, but you don't need to do that...I wont turn away a hug though." Smiling tiredly as Niko grinned widely before wrapping his tiny arms around her and hugging her as tight as he could, she turned her attention towards Suki who was staring in awe at a spot beside her. "Suki, Niko...say hello too your baby sister and brother."

Sleeping quietly beside Maya were twins. The girl was almost all turtle, save for the two tiny ears laying flat against her head, her tail and her all black fur which covered her from head to toe except for her shell which oddly enough was also black. The boy was all cat, only his fur was the same green as Raph's skin.

"What are their names Mommy?" Suki asked quietly as she ran a finger over her new siblings cheeks.

"Your sister's name is Cora...and your brother's name is Noah..."

Watching proudly as both Suki and Niko crowded around their new sister and brother, she knew that things would be okay even if Raph wasn't here. They wouldn't be easy and no doubt would get down right hard at some points, but in the end, things would still be okay.

**XxX**

And there you have it! Maya had twins, welcome to the world Cora and Noah! I'm not even going to bother with spelling and grammer right now, I'm so freaking tired I feel like I'm gonna pass out...and no, Niko doesn't have a speak problem, he just can't pronouce his his r's and doesn't like say his k's. He'll grow out of it.

EDIT: Forgot to add this so here it is. I also own Cora and Noah...and yes I did indeed change his name from Gage. Whatever though.

Remember! Reading + Reviewing equals one happy Deadly Fangs!


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